Paolo Silesu opens Paradiso Dolce Salato in Walmgate

Local food entrepreneur Paolo Silesu has just opened the sister cafe to his popular Sardinian restaurant Il Paradiso del Cibo in Walmgate.

The new eatery is called Paradiso Dolce Salato - just a few doors down Walmgate in the former Bert & May tile shop - and will be serving coffees, Italian sandwiches, cakes, soups, pizza slices and Italian gelato. A selection of Italian deli and grocery items will be on sale too.

Paolo and Elisa photographed this summer outside the Walmgate shop that is now their new cafe, Paradiso Dolce Salato (Image: Newsquest)

In many ways, the cafe is returning to the Il Paradiso roots.

York food lovers may remember that when Il Paradiso del Cibo (translated from Italian as food heaven) first opened in 2003 it was a deli and take-away - and only later became a restaurant, celebrated for its traditional and home-made dishes.

Cakes on the menu at the new cafe

Paolo, who has been a popular figure on the York food scene for more than two decades, revealed his plans for the new cafe exclusively to The Press over the summer.

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Paolo said: "A lot of people were asking about the original place all the time and remembered how we started. I realised there was nowhere quite like that in York and I thought a deli and ice-cream place would do well in this street."

General manager will be fellow Sardinian Elisa Peterle, an accomplished pastry chef, who will also be making the gelato in machines especially imported from Italy.

Home made soup is available at the cafe (Image: Supplied)

Paolo also runs a second restaurant, Il Paradiso on the Forest, at Sutton on the Forest just outside York with 100 covers. He sold his Il Paradiso restaurant in Leeds in February 2020.